Canada's Air Transat requires two people to remain in cockpits

26th March 2015, 0 comments

Canadian charter airline Air Transat said Thursday it will require two people to remain in its planes' cockpits, after it was revealed the co-pilot on a Germanwings flight deliberately crashed after he was left alone.

"We have decided to always have two people in the cockpit," Air Transat spokeswoman Debbie Cabana told AFP, adding the order would be effective starting Friday.

French authorities said 28-year-old Andreas Lubitz appeared to have slammed his Airbus A320 into the French Alps, killing 150 passengers and crew.

Lubitz initiated the plane's descent while alone at the controls, and refused to open the locked cockpit door for the pilot, who was believed to have gone to the toilet.

There was no immediate clue as to the motive, but investigators appeared to rule out terrorism.

"When one of the two pilots leaves the cockpit, the cabin chief (chief flight attendant) will take their place inside the cockpit," Cabana said of the airline's new policy.

Based in Montreal, Air Transat operates 28 large Airbus and Boeing jetliners with vacation flights between Canada and Europe, Latin America, the United States and the Caribbean.